207. Joseph Goldstein

Joseph Goldstein is a cofounder of the Insight Meditation Society (where he is one of the resident guiding teachers) and the Barre Center for Buddhist studies, both in Barre, Massachusetts.  He is the author of

• Mindfulness: A Practical Guide to Awakening,
• A Heart Full of Peace,
• One Dharma: The Emerging Western Buddhism,
• Insight Meditation: The Practice of Freedom, and
• The Experience of Insight: A Simple and Direct Guide to Buddhist Meditation (Shambhala Dragon Editions).

He has also coauthored books with Sharon Salzberg and Jack Kornfield. Joseph has studied and practiced meditation since 1967 under the guidance of eminent teachers from India, Burma, and Tibet and he leads Insight Meditation retreats around the world.

Summary and Transcript of this interview

Interview recorded 11/23/2013.

YouTube Video Chapters:

• 00:00:00 – Joseph Goldstein: Insight Meditation and the Enlightened Mind
• 00:03:22 – The Nature of the Mind
• 00:06:25 – The Purpose of Skillful Means
• 00:09:08 – The Hindu View of Enlightenment
• 00:12:15 – Stages of Awakening and Mistaking Preliminary Enlightenment
• 00:15:31 – The Reassurance of Being Done with Spiritual Practice
• 00:18:13 – Levels of Ignorance and Obstructive Forces
• 00:21:10 – The Effort and Investigation of Awakening
• 00:23:45 – The Importance of a Teacher and Study in Spiritual Practice
• 00:26:55 – Recognition and examination of the mind
• 00:30:08 – The Role of Monastics in Deepening Practice
• 00:32:57 – The Manifestation of Awakening in Behavior
• 00:35:22 – The Importance of Traits and States of Consciousness
• 00:38:06 – The Universal Experience of Enlightenment
• 00:41:13 – The Correlation Between Ethical Behavior and Enlightenment
• 00:44:08 – Wrathful Compassion and Ethical Grey Areas
• 00:46:27 – Manifestation of Compassion in Different Ways
• 00:49:28 – The Power of Mindfulness
• 00:51:49 – What is Mindfulness?
• 00:54:31 – Mindfulness as an Ethical Dimension
• 00:56:54 – The Analogy of the Changing Images
• 00:59:37 – The Unmanifest Quality
• 01:02:51 – The Purpose of Mindfulness
• 01:05:39 – The Effort and Nature of Mindfulness
• 01:07:45 – Mindfulness and the Effortless Approach
• 01:09:40 – Balancing Effort and Relaxation
• 01:12:18 – The Buddha Boy and the Atman-Anatman Debate
• 01:14:35 – Tathagata and Tattvamasi: Exploring the Difference
• 01:17:26 – Compassion as the Manifestation of Non-Clinging
• 01:20:34 – The Power of Bodhicitta and Awakening for the Benefit of All
• 01:23:23 – Conclusion and Next Week’s Interview